Because I am a sermon nerd

I’ve been catching up on some of my favorite podcasts and am excited about a new series at Grace Covenant in Austin.

They are studying through the book of Mark for the next few months and I am committing to reading through it at least once.

Yesterday I moved rather slowly through the first chapter, praying for God to show me new things and here is one that jumped out at me.

The narrative of Jesus’ ministry is rather quickly developed and action packed right from the start.

He preaches and teaches, heals and delivers…and basically has a rather dynamic impact on people everywhere He goes throughout the region of Galilee.

In verse 40, we are told of a rather touching encounter with a leper who kneels before Him and says, “If you are willing, You can make me clean.” 

Here I see…

the belief, the faith, the humbling, the hope…

of a man with an incurable disease…

asking the only One who can, to heal it…

according to His will.

And Jesus does.

The scripture tells us…He was MOVED with COMPASSION…

so He stretches out His hand and touches the leper…

and immediately the man is cleansed of his disease…

healed..

complete.

Now here is the curious part to me.

The part where I wish Mark would have been more wordy, more detailed…more like me…giving waaaay more information than some would think necessary.

Because it then says that Jesus “strictly warned him” to not tell anyone.

He told the man to go to the Temple and present himself to the priests.

To follow all the laws of Moses regarding the need to be officially declared clean and to present the appropriate sacrifices.

We don’t know if he ever did this, but we do know that he went out and told everyone he could tell what Jesus had done.

He did the exact opposite of what Jesus warned him not to do.

And the result was that Jesus could no longer minister by entering into cities, because He was becoming a sensation…a celebrity…a miracle-worker sought after for miracles.

I keep thinking about that man and how He approached Jesus.

On his knees and humbled by desperation, he KNEW what Jesus could do and he HOPED Jesus would do it.

But when he received the miraculous and personal touch of Jesus Christ…

his joy in being healed overtook his obedience to the Healer.

Oh to still be humbly on my knees AFTER He does the thing that drove me there.

To worship from a position of submission to His Authority, instead of going my own way to shout when told to be still.

To offer the sacrifice of praise to Him alone, instead of interfering with His work in others.

Yes..

there is a time to share the testimony of His work in us…

but on His terms…

in His way…

by His methods…

in His timing.

I pray we, who have known His healing hand in the leprous places of our hearts…

would be obedient to His instructions…

sensitive to His ways…

thoughtful in our service to Him…

as we …

journey onward  <3